Senior Bilingual Software Engineer (English/Japanese) – West Coast (U.S.)

Overview
We are seeking a highly capable
Senior Bilingual Software Engineer
to serve as the connective layer between our
Forward-Deployed U.S. teams
and our
Platform Core Engineering team in Japan
.
This role reports directly to the
CTO
, reflecting its strategic importance in aligning product direction, platform evolution, and field execution.
This role is not about language translation. In an AI-enabled environment, its core responsibility is
context alignment and leverage maximization
—ensuring both teams operate with a shared understanding of priorities, constraints, urgency, and intent.
You will play a critical role in making sure:
The
Platform Core team focuses on the highest-impact problems
, grounded in real-world usage **

• The

Forward-Deployed teams extract maximum value from the platform, leveraging it effectively and correctly
This is a high-impact role at the center of a two-speed organization: fast-moving field execution and a scalable, reusable platform.
---
Key Responsibilities
Act as the primary interface between
Forward-Deployed U.S. teams
and the
Platform Core team in Japan
, driving
deep, bidirectional context alignment

• Continuously synthesize and communicate

what is happening on the ground
—including priorities, urgency, constraints, and team sentiment (“temperature”)

• Translate not just requirements, but

intent, trade-offs, and decision rationale
across both sides
-
Influence platform roadmap and product strategy
by ensuring decisions are grounded in real-world usage, high-impact opportunities, and evolving field needs

• Ensure the

Platform Core team is working on the highest-value problems
, with clear prioritization informed by field context

• Ensure

Forward-Deployed teams fully leverage the platform
, including understanding its capabilities, constraints, and intended design patterns
-
Drive cross-regional program execution
, including:

• Defining and maintaining

clear priorities, milestones, and success criteria
across teams

• Managing

dependencies, risks, and trade-offs
between Forward-Deployed and Platform Core workstreams

• Establishing and enforcing

execution cadence
(planning, check-ins, reviews) across time zones

• Ensuring

accountability and follow-through
on key initiatives

• Facilitate

technical discussions, design reviews, and prioritization decisions
across regions

• Improve internal systems for global collaboration, including

documentation, communication cadence, and decision-making frameworks**
---
Qualifications
Required
Near-native proficiency in both English and Japanese
, capable of conveying nuanced context such as priorities, urgency, assumptions, and technical trade-offs. **
-
7+ years of experience in software engineering
, with strong exposure to system design and real-world implementation
-
4+ years of prior experience operating as a Software Engineer within a U.S.-based organization, where English was the primary language for technical discussions, design reviews, and deliverables, both orally and in writing.
Strong understanding of modern software architecture (APIs, backend systems, data models)
Proven ability to operate across product, engineering, and implementation contexts
Experience working with distributed or cross-border teams
Strong communication skills with the ability to convey nuanced context, not just information
Preferred
Experience in platform engineering or building extensible systems
Familiarity with ERP, supply chain systems, or complex business applications
Experience with SaaS integrations or composable/headless architectures
Background in solution architecture or technical program management
**Experience in a startup or high-growth environment
Experience or familiarity with modern systems programming languages (e.g., Go, Rust) and/or TypeScript, aligning with the Platform Core team's current or evolving technology stack.
---
What Success Looks Like
The
Platform Core team consistently prioritizes high-impact work
aligned with real field needs **

• Forward-Deployed teams

maximize leverage from the platform
, minimizing unnecessary custom work

• Reduced rework and friction caused by misalignment in priorities, assumptions, or timing
• Clear and shared understanding of

technical trade-offs and decision rationale across both teams
Faster feedback loops between field execution and platform evolution
High trust and strong collaboration across U.S. and Japan teams
---
Location & Working Conditions
Based on the
U.S. West Coast (required)

• Hybrid or remote-friendly

-
Open to working regular hours of 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM PT
to maintain meaningful daily overlap with the Japan-based Platform Core team (required)
-
Willingness to travel (~15%), primarily to strengthen cross-regional collaboration and alignment
---
Why This Role Matters
As organizations scale globally, the challenge is not access to information—it is
alignment on context, priorities, and intent
.
This role ensures that:
The
platform evolves in the right direction
, focusing on what truly matters

• The

field operates with maximum leverage**, building on the platform instead of around it
By synchronizing these two layers, you enable a system where
speed and scalability reinforce each other
, rather than compete.